"Male Jade Cargill," "A future main event star" - Fans react as former WWE name debuts for Tony Khan's company

Two years ago, AEW President Tony Khan purchased the prestigious wrestling company, ROH (Ring of Honor). It now operates as All Elite Wrestling's sister promotion and features some of the most talented performers in the industry.

The recent episode of Ring of Honor on HonorClub was stacked. It featured matches of prominent names such as Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Johnny TV, and more. Interestingly, it also saw the television debut of a 6 ft 8-inch tall talent named “The Judge” E. J. Nduka. Nduka was reportedly signed with WWE from 2019 to 2021, where his ring name was Ezra Judge.

After his run with the Stamford-based company ended, he signed with Major League Wrestling, where he held the company's World Tag Team Championship with Calvin Tankman. In June 2023, Wrestling Observer reported that he signed a deal with Tony Khan.

In the Ring of Honor on HonorClub episode mentioned above, he faced Jon Cruz and beat him without breaking a sweat.

Not only were fans in attendance impressed by Nduka's size, speed, and agility, but the fans on X (formerly Twitter) stated that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Tony Khan-owned company.

Here is how fans reacted to “The Judge” E. J. Nduka's television debut.

Fans react EJ Nduka's TV debut. [Image credits: Screenshots via Drainmaker's Twitter]

More reactions. [Image credits: Screenshots via Drainmaker's Twitter]

Tony Khan-owned ROH talent E.J. Nduka called Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson a major influence on this career

E.J. Nduka has an official YouTube channel where he uploads vlogs from time to time. In a recent video, he revealed that as a young boy, he was a massive fan of WWE legend, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

"Three of my biggest influences, number one, tell you right now off the rip was The Rock. You know what I'm saying? I was a huge Rock fan when I was a kid. I just liked the charisma, the attitude, the swagger you know, the style, my boy was hitting catchphrases right, left, and center. You know what I am saying? So I was a huge Rock fan." said Nduka.

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Additionally, he stated that after Johnson, his favorite WWE Superstar was "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.